This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
In current multi-service platforms, a time-division multiplexing (TDM) bus interface connects directly to a line termination card of each individual digital signal processor (DSP) of a plurality of DSPs. As will be discussed further below, examples of the TDM bus interfaces may include a telecom serial interface port (TSIP) and a scalable bandwidth interconnect (SBI). A routing issue may result when the number of TDM signals exiting the TDM bus interface exceeds the number of pins available in a connection between the TDM bus interface and the digital network switch. For example only, parallel unidirectional interfaces, such as SBI, needs about 30 signals. The routing issue may be remedied by an increased printed circuit board (PCB) layer count, which in turn results in loss of space and increased cost. While the above example focuses on the use of DSPs, the use of other devices, such as Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), microprocessors, and microcontrollers, is also contemplated.
Accordingly, there is a significant need for an apparatus and method that addresses the deficiencies of the prior art outlined above.